I've been through several startups as well as acquisitions. There's a huge difference between learning/acclimating to a set of values that aren't yours versus starting something with a group of people who all share preexisting values. Many great teams and products exist because of the latter. Even so, great teams from the latter camp can have values diluted every time new people come on board.<p>The first startup, I was employee #12. The second startup, I was employee #30. The third startup I joined mid-way through an acquisition. Each of these companies had great aspirations for good values but all failed to trickle them down to individuals. Too much bullshit and too many bodies. As a co-founder of the current startup (<a href="https://www.reamaze.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.reamaze.com</a>), we've purposely kept our team small, tight, and well curated. Instead of constantly hiring more bodies, we think outside the box and adapt to how our business is growing. All this to keep our values and chemistry intact. Just keeping the chemistry alive allows us to build products we and customers love.<p>You simply can't build successful teams, products, or businesses when so few of your employees buy into the real reasons you're doing what you're doing. Sure, you can buy them off with great salaries, benefits, and office amenities, and you may be able to carry that momentum to an exit but there will be miserable people. And if you can't carry the momentum, good luck with the mass exodus. This is why many will say "the day job will always be a chore". A lot of our customers actually come to us for advice on team building, customer service, and culture and we always encourage them to not hire. We don't even encourage them to hire if it's urgently desperate. Instead, hire only when you've met the right match at the right time. Happy to chat to anyone who wants to discuss team building and growing an extremely viable business by intentionally staying small and nimble.